Personal emergency response systems (PERS) are generally known and have proven to be an effective tool for monitoring the condition of and responding to the needs of elderly and/or infirm persons confined to their residences or other facilities. A typical personal emergency response system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,368 of the same assignee, which includes at least one subscriber unit located at a subscriber site for transmitting an alarm signal containing subscriber identification and alarm-type information via a telephonic communication link to a remote monitoring station capable of receiving alarm signals from multiple subscribers. Upon receipt of an alarm signal at the monitoring station, an operator dispatches assistance to the subscriber's site or initiates other appropriate action.
Personal emergency response systems of the type described above are often utilized at multi-residence sites such as apartment complexes, nursing homes, and retirement communities, as well as other multi-residential developments. In such applications, it would be beneficial to configure the system into a localized network including a local response center having potentially mobile on-site personnel for monitoring alarm signals to provide improved emergency response capabilities and enhanced system operability.
A monitored personal emergency response system as described, requires enhanced communications flexibility to meet specific site requirements as well as to instill user confidence. For example, it is important to provide reliable communication of alarm signals from subscribers to potentially mobile on-site field personnel throughout the multi-residential development, even during periods when the local response center is left unattended, as for example when a local response center operator is making rounds or responding to another call. For most applications, it would be important to provide communications redundancy for retransmitting alarm signals to the same or to backup field personnel in the event that a response to the original alarm signal has not been registered within a predetermined period of time. Further, it would be useful to provide a system self-testing capability in order to alert field personnel of a fault in the operability of the system.
The present invention provides a locally monitored personal emergency response system that addresses the issues discussed hereinabove.